Chapter 611: Pacifying Sibao County (Thirteen) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
Jiang Sheng had no desire to investigate the established facts.
He said, "Qiu Wenyan doesn't have that ability yet."
He paused, then continued, "Based on Sheng's understanding of Huang Lie, due to his early experiences, he is extremely wary. Apart from a handful of close blood relatives and confidants, he trusts no one. Furthermore, the secret technique for forging heavy shield warriors is a closely guarded secret, impossible to leak. Even if it were leaked, he would use every means to eliminate it in its infancy, ensuring that no outsider has the opportunity to threaten him..."
Shen Tang nodded: "That makes sense."
At this moment, Xun Zhen also came over: "Although Huang Lie comes from humble origins, he is not a reckless and destructive person. Otherwise, how could he command a million bandits? Qiu Cheng uses heavy shield warriors as cooks and acts in a high-profile manner. Once Huang Lie finds out, he will surely die without a burial place."
Shen Tang felt much more at ease after hearing this.
A moment later, she thought of something amusing and made no attempt to hide her schadenfreude: "Hey, if this heavy shield warrior legion really is an external aid that Qiu Cheng acquired at a price... today, hehe, I wonder what kind of face Qiu Wenyan will have?"
Hmm, it must be liver color!
Xun Zhen's brows and eyes also relaxed.
"My lord, we have just finished counting the enemy corpses."
How many?
Xun Zhen extended four fingers.
"Four hundred and sixty-seven."
His words carried a hint of anticipation. This number wouldn't be considered a significant victory on other battlefields, but considering this was Huang Lie's elite legion, with a total strength of only around ten thousand men, its significance was different. A successful initial battle was a good omen.
"Huh, more than expected..." Shen Tang was initially delighted, but then his brows furrowed in worry. "There were only about a thousand men just now, and no scholars to help them, yet they were already so difficult to deal with. And Huang Lie has more than ten thousand troops under his command. Wouldn't it be too much to handle them?"
Shen Tang felt like she was leveling up in a game.
Qiu Cheng is the first experience point, and she's confident she can take him down. Huang Lie, on the other hand, will most likely be a boss she'll have to clear out in the mid-to-late game, significantly increasing the difficulty. After Huang Lie, there might be Zheng Qiao. Once Zheng Qiao is dealt with, she'll need to deal with her neighbors and allies, such as Gu Ren and Wu Xian, merging and managing them on a small scale before venturing into the much larger Northwest map… It's truly a long and arduous road!
She also has to be careful not to be killed by someone else.
Speaking of this, Xun Zhen asked her to come and see something, making it all very mysterious, which aroused Shen Tang's curiosity to the extreme.
"What, you know how to deal with this legion?"
Xun Zhen: "I don't know, but it might be a clue."
He showed Shen Tang a corpse.
An ordinary corpse of a heavy shield warrior.
Two soldiers worked together to carry it over.
As soon as Shen Tang got closer, she covered her nose in disgust and leaned back, muttering, "This corpse has only been dead for a short time, how come it already smells of decay?"
Not only was there the stench of a corpse, but there were also signs of rigor mortis.
Shen Tang used the tip of her sword to pry open the corpse's clothes.
Large patches of lividity rushed into her view.
"Look at these lividity marks, not something a fresh corpse would have... At first glance, it looks like it's been dead for seven or eight hours, huh..." She opened the tinderbox from her bosom, using the light to see more clearly. She wasn't mistaken; the corpse's chest cavity was indeed moving...
The bluish skin heaved and rippled, not at all the rise and fall of breathing, but more like countless maggots writhing and slithering beneath it.
She decisively used the blade of her sword to cut open that area.
A soft "poof" sound.
A thick, paste-like substance gushed out from the wound.
With their appearance, the stench in the air became even more pronounced. Shen Tang remained calm, raising her hand to use the blade of her sword to widen and enlarge the wound, making it more visible. The subcutaneous tissue had been devoured, hollowed out, and replaced by swarms of greedy worms.
Her expression became more serious.
"These bodies were all burned and then buried."
The strength of the Heavy Shield Warriors is obtained by exchanging the lifespan, potential, and essence of their host. Once these resources are exhausted or external supplies are insufficient, the venomous insects lurking within their bodies will mercilessly devour the host. In short, these Heavy Shield Warriors have an "expiration date."
Not only does it have a "shelf life", but the "shelf life" is also very short.
Shen Tang couldn't help but frown and mutter to himself, "...Could it be that Huang Lie traded the nearly 'expiring' heavy shield warrior for supplies?"
This guess isn't impossible.
Qiu Cheng was unaware of the secrets of the Heavy Shield Warrior, only knowing that the thing was incredibly powerful, and might have been fooled by Huang Lie.
Shen Tang was amused by his own guess, and then saw Xun Zhen ordering people to take the corpse away to be burned. Remembering the enemy general he had fought not long ago, he chatted with Xun Zhen before he turned around and said, "Han Zhang, I just met a young martial artist who looks a bit like you."
"Similar to Zhen?"
"Judging from this child's age, he seems to be your eldest son."
Fathers and sons don't necessarily look alike.
Shen Tang simply regarded it as an amusing incident.
Xun Zhen took note of this: "Where is this child?"
Shen Tang said dejectedly, "They escaped. We didn't catch them."
Xun Zhen comforted Shen Tang instead: "If this boy is indeed under Qiu Cheng's command, we will eventually meet him when our army approaches Linshan County."
His composure surprised Shen Tang.
"Isn't Hanzhang worried that it's your son?"
She was determined to win over Linshan County and Sibao Prefecture.
Aren't you afraid that your grown son will become a stepping stone?
Xun Zhen found it baffling and asked in return, "Why should Zhen worry? Let alone whether it is my son or not—the battlefield is a place where swords and spears have no eyes, unlike other places. Since he has come, he should know what it means to be 'destined for life'... Cowardice is the act of a coward, and begging for life is the act of a weakling. If he is so afraid of death, why did he come in the first place? He might as well have stayed put."
Enjoy the shelter provided by your elderly father.
What kind of free world are you dreaming of?
Shen Tang: "..."
Meanwhile, the enemy general who escaped back—
Or rather—
Xun Ding, Xun Zhen's rebellious eldest son.
At this moment, he has no way to express his suffering.
He lost 80% of his supplies and provisions due to an ambush set by Kang Shi, and then encountered Shen Tang who had lost over 400 shield-bearing warriors. Despite his haste, he finally arrived at Linshan County before Shen Tang. Qiu Cheng and the others were waiting for this batch of provisions, and upon hearing of the defeat, they flew into a rage.
My heart aches so much it could bleed.
He did indeed buy these heavy shield warriors at a high price.
It wasn't just him; almost all of the Dragon Slayer Bureau's allies did the same thing. First, to strengthen their relationship with Huang Lie; second, to increase their own trump cards; and third, and most importantly—to crack the secret of Huang Lie's trump card and cultivate their own personal guard.
Everyone sees through my thoughts but keeps quiet.
Unfortunately, I still have no clue what to do.
Who knows, who knows—
So much was lost!!!
Xun Dingke wouldn't tolerate his bad temper.
Without suppressing his anger, he immediately retorted: "The intelligence provided by Lord Qiu's troops is wrong, how can you blame me for being incompetent? If it weren't for my good fortune, I would have lost my life long ago after two consecutive battles in one day!"
He only helps Qiu Cheng fight.
Fight desperately for Qiu Cheng?
That's a different price.
One of Qiu Cheng's generals questioned, "Is it incompetence? How do you explain the loss of the heavy shield warriors? Each of them was capable of taking on ten, or even a hundred, and their strength was common knowledge! Yet they suffered heavy losses in your hands. Wasn't it due to your poor command and inability to judge the timing? I never imagined that there were warriors in the world as slippery as you, only knowing how to shirk responsibility without reflecting on your own actions. You are a laughingstock!"
Xun Ding almost laughed in anger, and immediately retorted: "Old General, you're good at preaching, but how come you've already forgotten how pathetic you were when you couldn't even muster the will to fight against Gongxi Chou? Why didn't you talk about how brilliant your command was and how decisive your decisions were that time? No matter how strong the Heavy Shield Warriors are, they are just a group of second-class upper-class soldiers, not a group of twelfth-class left-hand soldiers. They can't be called 'invincible,' nor are they made of copper and iron, impervious to swords and spears!"
When facing a powerful enemy far superior to oneself, even the most skillful maneuvers are nothing more than flashy tricks.
The valiant warrior choked, his face turning ashen.
He takes the approach of being quick-witted and adaptable.
He displayed a flurry of impressive maneuvers against Gong Xi Chou, only to be utterly overwhelmed by the latter's brute force and subjected to blatant taunts. Gong Xi Chou: [Fancy moves, a waste of time.]
Xun Ding brought this up again, which naturally angered him. He retorted angrily, "You—you're nothing but a gatekeeper who can be bought off with money—"
Xun Ding was too lazy to refute.
"Oh, thank you for the compliment." Years of banditry had made him look less than upright, and his eyes even carried a hint of wicked roguishness. He spoke in a way that was infuriating, "What's wrong with working for money? Aren't you all just officials who eat the food of others' salaries? Or do you regard money as dirt and disdain the salary given by Lord Qiu? You may not care, but I do. After all, I can't support my family by living on air."
After Xun Ding finished speaking, he was surrounded by menacing and fierce eyes. He sneered with confidence: "Also, Shen Tang is personally leading troops to attack Linshan County. His army has already assembled not far away and will probably be here in a few hours. You all should make plans as soon as possible."
_(:з」∠)_
Shower, time for bed. Tomorrow's Monday again, I'm determined to get the doctor to admit me to the hospital, this environment feels so dangerous...
(End of this chapter)
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